Chaplain (Maj.) Scott Koeman (at mic), chaplain, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, leads a prayer during the opening ceremony of the 238th U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Anniversary celebration, July 26. The 2nd SBCT organized and hosted the celebration for the second year in a row.

Soldiers and family members from across the U.S. Army-Pacific gathered here, July 26, to celebrate the 238th anniversary of the Army Chaplain Corps.

The corps annually celebrates its anniversary on the last Friday of July every year. For 2013, the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team planned and executed the celebration for USARPAC.

“The whole idea of this celebration is to remind ourselves that we have a long-standing tradition and history here in the Chaplain Corps,” said Chaplain (Maj.) Scott Koeman. “We are the oldest corps in the Army, outside of the infantry.”

“This anniversary is celebrated across the Army,” said Sgt. David Besikof, chaplain’s assistant. “Units throughout the mainland celebrated today; this is the celebration for the whole island,”

“Basically, it is similar to an organizational day,” said Koeman. “The USARPAC chaplain will speak and welcome the new families before we share our meal and engage in some of the activities we have prepared and get to know one another.”

The celebration required considerable planning and manpower to execute, as more than 300 people were expected to attend.

“We started planning about three months ago, by looking for locations that would best suit our event, and then about 12 weeks ago, we put together the initial plan for the brigade,” said Koeman.

“All of the funds for this celebration were from the tithing funds, the collection plates that are passed around during worship services and donations from congregation members,” said Besikof.

Ensuring the success of the celebration was shared among all of the unit ministry teams (UMTs) within the brigade.

“The brigade unit ministry teams took the mission to organize, plan and execute this celebration. Each of the battalion UMTs had a role to play in executing the celebration,” said Koeman.

Feeding more than 300 people is no simple feat, but that didn’t stop the UMT from providing an excellent spread.

“For the meal, we are having a brisket as well as pulled pork with all the fixings,” said Koeman. “There are sweets available for the kids, and later on we will have shaved ice available from a vendor we’ve arranged.”

The celebration wouldn’t be complete without some fun activities for the Soldiers and families to enjoy.

“We have quite a few things planned,” said Koeman. “The chapel band is here to play music throughout the event. We have face painting and bounce houses for the kids, and later in the afternoon, we’ll have a volleyball tournament.”

“The band is from the Soldier’s Chapel; all of them are volunteers from within 2nd Brigade,” said Besikof.

The celebration was a hit, with 322 people attending and taking part in the activities, food and music.

The dedication of the brigade’s UMT helped to ensure another memorable anniversary for the second oldest corps in the Army.